Colder days ahead– PAGASA

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos will begin to experience chilly mornings in the coming weeks as the state weather bureau announced yesterday the onset of the northeast monsoon season.?

Vicente Malano, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) chief, said the public can expect cooler and drier days ahead as the northeast wind flow will become dominant over most parts of the country.?

“Surges of cold temperatures may be expected in the coming days to months,” he added.

Malano explained that for the past several days strong to gale force northeasterly winds prevailed over the seaboards of Northern Luzon due to the strengthening of the high-pressure system over Siberia.?

He added that there was a gradual cooling of the surface air temperature over the northeastern part of Luzon.?

“These meteorological conditions indicate the onset of northeast monsoon season in the country,” the PAGASA chief said.?

Ana Liza Solis, chief of PAGASA’s Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section, said cold surges would be experienced from December to February next year.?

She said nighttime temperatures might dip to 8.9 degrees Celsius in Baguio City and 17 degrees Celsius in Metro Manila.?

The northeast monsoon brings cold weather to the country that may last until February or March. ?

The lowest recorded temperature in Baguio was 6.3 degrees Celsius on Jan. 18, 1961. In Metro Manila, the coldest temperature was at 15.1 degrees Celsius registered on Feb. 4, 1987 and Dec. 30, 1988.?

January and February are generally the coldest months in the Philippines as this is the period the northeast monsoon reaches its peak, the weather bureau said.